This session will be a facilitated group discussion, similar to a focus group, around the topic of a micro-credential community of practice for post-secondary educators in the United States. We hope to collaborate with attendees in exploring a possible “Micro-credentials Alliance” and identifying what possible needs such a community may help address.
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Meena Naik - Currently serving as the UNT marketable skills credential program and CLR architect: goals of this project include of supporting student retention, equity in education, ownership of data, and employability through the development of intentional high-impact practices across the university while leveraging digital badges, credential pathways and learner records to meet these needs.
Experienced Trainer and Leader with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry in student affairs, academic services, and diversity and retention offices. Skilled in Faculty Development and Training Implementation, Instructional Design, Curriculum Development, Social Justice and Retention Strategies, Student Development, and Strategic Thinking/Organization Development. Strong program development professional currently a doctoral candidate Educational Psychology from University of North Texas with a research focus on personal agency in presenting personal identities despite the loss of power/marginalization. 
Sherri Braxton - I currently serve as the Senior Director for Digital Innovation at Bowdoin College. In this role, I am responsible for supporting the ongoing Bowdoin Online Learning and Teaching (BOLT) operational vision and strategy and providing day-to-day guidance and support across the overall effort. I partner with stakeholders throughout the college while leading efforts to identify, prioritize, and pursue other opportunities for digital innovation. I also lead efforts to partner and collaborate with peers and other institutions on these digital learning initiatives.
I am active in many national/international organizations. I served as a co-leader of the EDUCAUSE Instructional Technology Constituent Group and as the leader of the Open Badges Special Interest Group under IMS Global’s Digital Credentialing and Badging initiative. I regularly present at conferences and participate in workshops and webinars convened by EDUCAUSE, IMS Global and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). I also have vast expertise within the defense contracting domain. For over 17 years, I served as a project and program manager for education and training projects within both the intelligence and federal spaces. My expertise includes managing projects, technology, budgets, and personnel. 
Justin Mason - Director of eLearning and Academic Tech at University of Montana-Western. Moodle LMS admin. Instructional designer. Former librarian. Advocate of open digital badges, (some) micro-credentials, and open educational resources (OERs). Open education & open recognition believer/dreamer.
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Validating what someone knows and can do is a vital factor in increasing equitable hiring practices in the skills economy. 21st century skills, while in demand by business, are often the most difficult to evaluate and capture through the academic process and yet are key to unlocking the doors to higher wages and a better quality of life. To maximize the capture of achieved and existing skills, Education Design Lab has prototyped fully automated, next-generation performance-based assessments of critical, high-demand 21st-century skills, leveraging simulation and XR technologies. Aligned to eight digital micro-credentials and an associated competency framework, the assessments allow for scalable prior learning assessment, skill documentation for learner employment records, and learner empowerment through digital wallets. Come learn about these exciting, high-quality new tools, and try one yourself!
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Dr. Tara Laughlin has spent her career helping youth and adults develop the skills needed for the future of work by leading the design and facilitation of personalized, competency-based learning experiences. She brings over 15 years of experience in education across K12, higher ed, and business to her work at the Lab. As an Education Designer focused on Micro-Credentialing, Dr. Laughlin is focused on solutions that increase access to opportunity by valuing the work and life experiences individuals bring to the table. She also facilitates the design of next-generation skills assessments and learning experiences within the Lab’s digital micro-credentials.
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The North Dakota Credential Co-Lab Project has developed, Open Credential Publisher, an open-sourced tool that allows high school transcripts to be published, stored, and shared as Verifiable Credentials (VC) using the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) standard. From transcripts to badges to career pathways this innovation provides a real-world adoptable option for credential issuers, individuals, and verifiers. Learn from the creators and implementors of Open Credential Publisher as they answer questions about the architecture, technology, and adoption.
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How might we build and assess competency and cultural learning while maintaining the scale
achievable through automation and integration? The session will be a rapid prototyping design experience. The goal will be to workshop the concept referenced in the title, and to do so in order to prototype a solution to a learning challenge that you, your team, or your organization is facing. The session will unfold as follows: Welcome & Introduction Overview of the Question/Challenge Participant Questions Rapid Prototyping -- autonomous yet structured/supported Share-out Closure & Next Steps |
Eric Davis is a career educator and edupreneur. He successfully built and transitioned four k-12 education organizations, two non-profit and two for profit. Eric is enjoying applying his decades of education design and professional learning experience to help build cultures of excellence in the cannabis industry. You can view his LinkedIn profile (or resume) to learn more.
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Implementing digital badges and micro-credentials in K-12 is difficult, especially when attempting to do so at scale. The lessons learned are myriad, and those of us who have attempted this work know that it can be perpetually clouded by the risk factor of being labeled yet another flavor of the week. Panelists in this session have experience with both the celebrations and heartache inherent in these efforts and will share reflections on specific, concrete examples of both their lessons learned and successes.
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Kevin Reibau -
Carissa Duran - I believe in education. I recognize the flaws in the traditional education system, but I do not believe that our system is beyond saving. Through the ingenuity of educators and the resilience of our youth, education can be the saving grace of society. I'm passionate about equity and providing opportunities for young people to have a voice in their own education. We don't learn unless we participate in our learning.
Tonya Wilcox - I am an avid papercrafter who loves to create cards and scrapbook. I love taking little bits and pieces of paper and working with it until it becomes what I picture in my head. This flows through to my work life with data, I love taking bits and pieces of data, analyzing it and making visual reports so that others can see what I see and find usefulness in the programs they are using.
I am a people person and work well on a team and enjoy watching a team project come to a successful conclusion. I lead projects with enthusiasm and work to make sure my team understands both the project as well as their role to ensure that the project is successful. I look forward to connecting with you. |
While the Open Badges and Micro-Credentials movement has accelerated in the United States, the greatest advancements in implementation and adoption have not been confined to a single country. Inspiring work is already advancing at UNESCO, the World Bank, the European Commission, the International Council on Badges and Credentials, and many more. Join thought leaders from four continents in a panel that will explore the inclusive and global nature of micro-credentials.
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Rupert Ward is Director of Strategic Partnerships for the International Council on Badges and Credentials and former Project Lead of iDEA (idea.org.uk) which is one of the world’s most successful digital badge platforms. He is also author of two books on Personalised Learning and key papers on technology acceptance.
Anabella Laya is CoFounder & CEO of ACREDITTA, Latin America leading platform to issue digital credentials based on blockchain-secured format that's easily shareable and verifiable. Former tech adoption Lead in Ecopetrol, the second largest Oil and Gas in Latin America. +10 years of experience in change management consulting for technology implementation projects. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitalaya/
Don Presant is an international consultant and expert advocate for micro-credentials and digital badges for open recognition using Open Badges. He is President of Learning Agents and CanCred.ca, a leading Canadian cloud service for Open Badges. International projects include hpass.org, atingi.org and Interamerican Development Bank badges. Learn more about Don from the evidence in his Open Recognition Ambassador badge: https://bit.ly/DonORA.
Margo Griffith is the Head of Business Development for Edalex, an Australian EdTech company that provides the skills data infrastructure for evidence, alignment and recognition of learner achievement via the Credentialate platform. Her in-depth market knowledge and experience is the result of working in and for higher education providers and EdTech leaders, nationally and internationally for over 20 years.
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Many lessons can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation reviews a Crisis Empowerment Framework to support educational leaders’ decision making in situations where they must continue to provide educational services during an ongoing crisis. We drew from theory and literature regarding crisis management, communications, policy, empowerment, and innovations in learning science to construct this conceptual framework. Its components make it ideal for the dynamic and fluid environments of schools working within the broader community context amid a crisis to ensure learning outcomes while addressing whole student needs in the learning process
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Paul Liabenow has dedicated his career to educating Michigan’s young people. With degrees from Michigan State University and Central Michigan University, Paul joined Cadillac Area Public Schools where he worked his way through the ranks of teacher, building leader, principal and district superintendent. Today Paul serves as the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals—working to build a community of educators dedicated to advocating, leading, and learning. He serves on the boards of the Association of After School Partnerships, The Center for Education Improvement, the Michigan Assessment Consortium, President of Core Communications, and President of The MEMSPA Foundation.
Driven by a passionate belief that all children deserve a quality education, Dr. Riley Justis is a prominent leader for the Faulkner Tech’s initiatives focused on elevating teams for breakthrough performance achievement. Having served as Superintendent, Principal and Teacher across the United States, Riley has lead teams of professionals focused on strengthening K12 instruction and fostering innovation in education and beyond. Riley, prior to joining the Faulkner Tech team, has been an educational leader across the nation, both through more traditional K12 leadership roles and within the educational technology industry. His focus was and continues to be democratizing processes and systems of highly effective schools across the country, to impact the teaching process and learning outcomes.
As an educational researcher, Riley maintains a robust portfolio of published work, focusing on educational leadership, policy and the impact of educational data in the teaching and learning environment. Currently, his research agenda is concentrating on the impact of leadership perception of data in the educational environment. He uses this work to inform the practices of Headstream Technologies and as a means to facilitate next generation thinking across the product development process. |
With over decade of experience around Open Badges, We Are Open Coop and Participate will engage participants in an innovative learning and participatory learning experience! "Keep Badges Weird" will explore the intersection of badges and Communities of Practice (CoP). This is a place in which contribution badges can recognise participation, creation, and reflection, as well as act as credentials. Our experimental project is focused on people who are curious about badges and CoP, helping you engage with your community as you learn about the theory and practice of both badges and CoP. With your feedback, we intend to test, iterate and launch this learning experience to other CoP-curious folk and then to Badge Champions in organisations of all sizes. While we do all of this, we will have some fun!
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Laura Hilliger is a creative champion for communities. Her mind baffles us. She builds, writes, sees big pictures. She thinks she’s funny (she is), dislikes juggling and contributes because she knows that collective action is a powerful tool for a better world.
An expert in open source, Laura won the Women in IT 2020 Digital Leader of the Year award. She also re-routed her longtime collaboration with Greenpeace through WAO to power-up her work bringing open principles to the non-profit. 
Mark Otter, is Chief Executive Officer at Participate. Prior to joining the Participate in 2008, Mark gained experience and expertise as a global educator teaching secondary math and science in public schools in Nova Scotia, North Carolina, Virginia, and London, England. It was during his time in London that Mark was named the UK Visiting International Faculty Teacher of the year for 2001-02. Mark graduated from Acadia University in 1996 with a B.Sc. in Biology and Mathematics, again in 1998 with a B.Ed. in Secondary Math/Science education and holds a M.Ed. in School Leadership from Concordia University. Connect with him on Twitter @markjotter
Dr. Julie Keane is Chief Learning Officer at Participate. Prior to coming to Participate, Dr. Keane was Associate Project Director at the Center for Children and Technology, EDC, Inc. in New York. She has conducted research and evaluation examining blended and online professional development, global education, dual language immersion, and STEM curriculum initiatives, including analysis of international, U.S federal, and state education policy. She holds a Ph.D. in education from UNC- Chapel Hill, and a Masters in Political Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Connect with her on Twitter @juliekeane
Doug Belshaw is a specialist in digital literacies and new forms of accreditation such as Open Badges. He likes to help people become more productive in their use of technology. He’s a doctor, but not the type that can help you with an emergency tracheotomy! Doug helps people and organisations become more intentional in their uses of technology. He’s a seasoned keynote speaker and workshop leader, using his conversational and collaborative style to help people understand complex issues.
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AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) establishes member-led work gorups that develop recommendatiosn for insittutional polices and practices on trending topics. Launched in August of 2021, the Alternative Credentials Work Group is comprised of professionals in higher education registrars' offices committed to studying micro-credentials and publishing an AACRAO report around best practices and recommendations. This interactive and conversational session will propose a number of questions the work group is seeking to learn about and will actively engage attendees in feedback that can inform our work.
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Brenda Schumann, facilitator for this breakout session, is the Deputy University Registrar and Director of Operations and Compliance at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently chairing a working group for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers to develop AACRAO recommended standards for colleges and universities to follow when implementing alternative credentials. This session will provide an opportunity for higher education administrators to share best practices, considerations, and strategies for the implementation of alterative credentials on their respective campuses.
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A conversation with the leaders of Virginia’s leading credential issuers
Where does innovation happen? Why do some organizations and areas seem to breed innovation? When it comes to credentials and badges, what is the front line? In this panel, several cutting-edge Virginia institutions might offer the answers to these questions. From higher education to workforce development and certifications, Virginia organizations are building new ways to recognize achievement and encourage success. We’ll explore how they developed their current initiatives, what their progress says about credentialing today, and how their work might be reproduced elsewhere. |
Ridge serves as dean of Piedmont Virginia Community College’s two Community Self-Sufficiency Programs (Network2Work @PVCC and TJACE @PVCC) which utilize multiple resources in our community to identify and support people being left behind in our economy, and provides the training and supports they need to find quality employment in our community.
He graduated from the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia School of Law. Ridge spent 10 years on Capitol Hill serving as chief of staff to U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher and chief policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Charles S. Robb of Virginia. In 2011, Ridge published the Orange Dot Report which analyzed the economic struggles facing a considerable portion of Charlottesville’s families and suggested solutions. Ridge founded and directs the Charlottesville Works Initiative, a partnership between the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Virginia Community College, to implement those solutions. |
To Global Seal of Biliteracy provides a free 3-tiered language credential via competency-based testing in over 125 languages. The goal of this unique serial-numbered certification program is to expand access and equity to bilinguals of any age to document their language skills for academic and professional purposes. The Global Seal, which is being awarded internationally, can be issued by a school, company or organization to support advanced placement or language pay differentials.
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Linda L. Egnatz has served the Global Seal of Biliteracy as its Executive Director since its foundation in 2018. She is an educator emeritus of the Lincoln-Way Community High School District #210 in Illinois, where she taught all levels of Spanish including both AP Spanish Language & Culture and AP Spanish Literature & Culture. Egnatz is a Board Member of the Joint National Committee for Languages--National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) and the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL) of which she was President (2013-14). She has taught as an Adjunct at DePaul University, Purdue University and Joliet Junior College. Egnatz is the recipient of multiple awards including being named the 2014 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year. Egnatz is a popular keynote speaker and consultant in the areas of language proficiency and regularly provides professional development offerings for language educators internationally.
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